Prophet Unveils Phnom Penh Temple Rendering in His First Visit to Cambodia
Contributed By Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News editor
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President Russell M. Nelson greets members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. He spoke at a devotional on Tuesday, November 19, 2019.
Article Highlights
- The Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple is an indication that God knows and loves members of the Church in Cambodia.
- President Nelson encouraged members in Cambodia to start preparing their families now to attend and perform work in the temple.
“Difficult as it is to build a temple, it is more difficult to build a people ready for the temple. Now is the time to start preparing for the temple.” —President Russell M. Nelson
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PHNOM PENH, Cambodia
Thousands of Latter-day Saints grew silent as President Russell M. Nelson displayed a rendering of the future Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple here on Tuesday evening, November 19.
The stillness, however, was quickly replaced with a wave of delight that rippled across The Premier Centre Sen Sok, a Phnom Penh exhibition hall and reception center.
“That is what it will look like—isn’t that beautiful?” asked President Nelson, acknowledging the sacred work done in a temple before adding, “Preparing for the temple is sacred work.”
Marking his first trip to Cambodia—a busy nation of 16.5 million—President Nelson spoke as part of his Southeast Asia ministry, visiting four countries in seven days, from November 15 through November 22.
The temple—the first in Cambodia—will stand on Russian Confederation Street, next to the Cambodia Institute of Technology and opposite the National Pediatric Hospital.
The sacred building is an indication that “God knows and loves” members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cambodia, he said.
“We don’t know when the temple will be completed,” President Nelson said. “But I do know this: Difficult as it is to build a temple, it is more difficult to build a people ready for the temple. Now is the time to start preparing for the temple.”
President Nelson promised the congregation of almost 3,000 that “God knows you and loves you.”
Individual preparation for the temple will bless families, he said.
“Why are we building a temple in Cambodia? So that families can be together forever. As you serve them in the temple, their holy presence will become known to you.”
“Thy Work May Flourish and Grow”
Standing on the banks of the Mekong River in Cambodia on May 29, 1996, President Gordon B. Hinckley offered a prayer on the land and the people.
In the prayer, he referred to Cambodia as a “place of great tradition and great history, looking not to the past but to the future with optimism and faith.”
He closed the prayer with these words: “We pray that strong and wise and good men who are virtuous in their lives may come into the Church and may be raised up to become officers here of wards and stakes in Zion that Thy work may flourish and grow in a remarkable and marvelous way.”
Displaying a photograph of that historic day, President Nelson asked the congregation to stand if they know or are related to any local Latter-day Saints.
“Look what has happened from that small group in 1996 to thousands here tonight,” he said.
President Russell M. Nelson waves hello to the Latter-day Saints in Cambodia as he arrives to speak to them in a devotional on Tuesday, November 19, 2019.
Growth in this nation has been slow but steady.
On July 1, 1997, the Cambodia mission was established. The first two stakes were created in the country on the same day in May 2014. On October 7, 2018, President Nelson announced the new temple for the country of almost 15,000 members.
Many in Cambodia have ancestors that perished without a knowledge of the gospel. “You will not forget them,” President Nelson said.
Seang Chen’s brother introduced him to the Church in 2002. With his wife, Meas Choeun, he was baptized December 7, 2003. Both the couple’s children—Chhum Savatey, 20, and Chhum Kim Chhorr, 23—started processing missionary paperwork this week.
Choeun, a ward Relief Society president, is helping the women in her ward spiritually prepare for the temple. Chen, who has made his career in real estate, said President Nelson came to Cambodia to have the members hear a message from God.
“When I heard the prophet announce the temple, I was overjoyed. I had tears in my eyes,” he said. “I know Heavenly Father loves Cambodia and Cambodian people; that is why He gave us a temple.”
Latter-day Saints and friends of the Church gather at a devotional in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Tuesday, November 19, 2019. President Russell M. Nelson and Elder D. Todd Christofferson spoke.
“Blessed by the Prophet”
Earlier in the day, President Nelson—accompanied by Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles—called upon the Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An, who is responsible for humanitarian and social work in Cambodia. Since 1984, the Church has provided $14 million in Church-sponsored humanitarian aid to projects in the country.
“She was warm and gracious, accepting,” said Elder Christofferson. “She understood what the Church has been doing to help. She was grateful for the members of the Church for their strong families, for the help that we’ve given with wheelchairs, medical assistance, and other projects.”
A gift from President Russell M. Nelson is given to Men Sam An, Cambodia’s deputy prime minister on Tuesday, November 19, 2019.
Speaking of the temple, President Nelson explained that when the Church builds a temple, “we really want it to be an asset to the community, an asset to the country. We’re here to help them, to bless their lives. So it’s important for their government leaders to be in on the takeoff as well as the landing on a project like that, so that they’re a part of the solution and never a part of wondering, ‘What are those people doing?’”
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An artistic rendering of the Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple.
Young Latter-day Saints from Cambodia show delight with the opportunity of attending a devotional with their prophet, President Russell M. Nelson on Tuesday, November 19, 2019.
Elder Christofferson said Cambodia has been a fruitful field for the Church and will continue. “We want to bless them. It says a lot that the President of the Church would be here, even though the numbers aren’t great at this point in time. As he said to the deputy prime minister, everyone is precious. We’re here to give them that message.”
Eng Bunhuoch joined the Church in 1998 after taking English classes taught by the missionaries. He served a mission to Cambodia.
Many Latter-day Saints in the country still cannot afford to attend the temple in Hong Kong, he said.
Great things are in store for Cambodia, he said. “Cambodia will be a place with a temple. Cambodia will be blessed by the visit of a prophet.”
The Ministry of National Assembly–Senate Relations and Inspection. In this government building, President Russell M. Nelson met with Men Sam An, Cambodia’s deputy prime minister, on Tuesday, November 19, 2019.
A choir of Latter-day Saints performs hymns of the Church at a devotional in Cambodia on Tuesday, November 19, 2019. President Russell M. Nelson and Elder D. Todd Christofferson spoke to them.
Latter-day Saints gather at the Premier Centre Sen Sok in Phnom Penh for a devotional with their Church leaders on Tuesday, November 19, 2019.
Prior to speaking at a devotional in Cambodia, President Russell M. Nelson greets Latter-day Saints of all ages on Tuesday, November 19, 2019.
Young Latter-day Saints are excited to see their prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, at a devotional in Cambodia on Tuesday, November 19, 2019.
Young single adults in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, sit in a half circle, ready to ask gospel questions of President Russell M. Nelson. They also came to listen to him speak in a devotional on Tuesday, November 19, 2019.
Latter-day Saints in Cambodia gather for a devotional with President Russell M. Nelson on Tuesday, November 19, 2019.
President Russell M. Nelson meets with the deputy prime minister of Cambodia on Tuesday, November 19, 2019.
President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, right, talks with Sopheak Thavy, secretary of state for the Ministry of National Assembly-Senate Relations and Inspection, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Tuesday, November 19, 2019. At left is Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.
Visitors gather at Wat Phnom, a Buddhist temple in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Tuesday, November 19, 2019. Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.
Sam Samith takes notes during a devotional with President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Tuesday, November 19, 2019. Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson, left, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks through an interpreter during a devotional in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Tuesday, November 19, 2019.
Elder Peter F. Meurs, left, a General Authority Seventy who is serving in the Asia Area Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaks through an interpreter during a devotional in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Tuesday, November 19, 2019. Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.
Elder David F. Evans, left, a General Authority Seventy and Asia Area President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaks during a devotional in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Tuesday, November 19, 2019. Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.
President Russell M. Nelson, second from left, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, laughs while talking with General Meach Sophana, secretary of state, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Tuesday, November 19, 2019. At left is Elder David F. Evans, a General Authority Seventy and Asia Area President. At right is Elder Peter F. Meurs, a General Authority Seventy serving in the Asia Area Presidency. Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.
Eng Bunhuoch, a stake president, is pictured in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on November 19, 2019. Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.
Seag Chen and his wife, Meas Choun, stand with their children, Chhum Kim and Chhum Savetey, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on November 19, 2019. Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.
Attendees listen during a devotional in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on November 19, 2019. Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.
President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his wife, Sister Wendy Nelson, wave to attendees after a devotional in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on November 19, 2019. Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.
President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints shows an artist rendering of the Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple during a devotional in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on November 19, 2019. Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.
Youth wipe away tears after meeting President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on November 19, 2019. Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.
President Russell M. Nelson and his wife, Sister Wendy Nelson, meet with youth in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Tuesday, November 19, 2019. Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.
Attendees enter the Premier Centre Sen Sok for a devotional in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, November 19, 2019. Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.
Davy Monlong poses for a photo with her children—Rebecca, Roniya, and Rachel—prior to a devotional in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on November 19, 2019. Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.
Tola Udom, 2, holds his father’s hand while waiting for a devotional for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on November 19, 2019. Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.
Srey Kia and Srey Nic listen during a devotional with President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Tuesday, November 19, 2019. Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.
Jiem Sreypov, left, her husband, Rii Oich, and their daughter, Rii Sarari, participate in a devotional with President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Tuesday, November 19, 2019. Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.
